Four Books on Human Proportion

A woodcut illustration from Albrecht Dürer's treatise on human proportion shows a human figure from a posterior view. The figure stands with arms slightly away from the body. To the left of the figure, a complex system of vertical measurement scales shows lines of varying lengths. These are accompanied by numbers and fractions, such as 10, 1/2, 23, 1/30, 8, 7, and 5, which denote specific proportions. These scales correspond to horizontal levels of the body marked by labels. On the figure itself, several small annotations are visible. A whorl symbol appears on the head. The numeral 5 is on the upper back. The numeral 6 is on the buttocks. The letter H is on the back of each thigh. The signature A I appears twice near the bottom of the page.

Crown of the head
The back whorl original: "hindwirbel"; the spiral pattern of hair at the back of the head, used here as an anatomical landmark.
Forehead

Eyebrows
Nose
Chin

Height of the hollow of the throat original: "halsgrübleins"; the suprasternal notch at the base of the neck.
Height of the breast
The front shoulders original: "vorder achslen"; referring to the level of the armpits.

Nipples original: "Zütlein"; a diminutive term for the nipples.
Under the breasts

In the waist original: "weychen"; the soft part of the torso between the ribs and the hip.

At the navel

End of the hip
End of the abdomen

End of the genitals
End of the buttocks

Above the knee
Middle of the knee
Below the knee

End of the inner calf.

Height of the instep original: "ris"; the top of the foot where it meets the leg.
End of the ankle bone original: "knorren"; specifically the bony protrusion of the malleolus.
Sole

The following list provides the technical vocabulary used in Dürer's proportional system for this diagram.

Scheitel: Crown of the head.
hindwirbel: Back whorl of the hair.
Stirn: Forehead.
Augbrauen: Eyebrows.
Nasen: Nose.
Kinn: Chin.
halsgrübleins: Hollow of the throat.
achslen: Shoulders or armpits.
Zütlein: Nipples.
nabel: Navel.
hüfft: Hip.
scham: Genitals.
kny: Knee.
waden: Calf.
knorren: Ankle bone.
Soln: Sole of the foot.
menschliche Proportion: Human proportion.